Europe Economics Update Is Italy's recovery gaining momentum? Italian economic prospects have improved over recent months, but we still think that GDP growth there will remain weaker than in the euro-zone as a whole, both in the short and medium term. 5th March 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Stars still aligned for more ECB support Despite last week's stronger than expected euro-zone inflation figures, the combination of still very weak price pressures, the strong euro and recent falls in liquidity in the banking sector still... 3rd March 2014 · 1 min read
Global Markets Update Will Spain’s and Italy’s bond spreads continue to fall? The yield spreads of Spanish and Italian government bonds over German Bunds began to fall sharply following the announcement of the ECB’s Outright Monetary Transactions programme in the summer of 2012... 27th February 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Deflation dangers cast shadow over recovery The European economy looks set for another year of weak growth in 2014, with the euro-zone likely to do little more than stagnate. Against that background, the European Central Bank (ECB) is likely to... 15th January 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly The pitfalls in the euro-zone’s road to recovery Although our forecast for euro-zone GDP growth in 2014 of 0.5% is now only a little more downbeat than the consensus estimate, there remain plenty of risks that could yet derail the region's recovery... 6th January 2014 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Focus What is the outlook for commercial property in Spain and Italy? The economic problems facing Italy mean that, in our view, it is too soon to call the floor for capital values in office and industrial markets. By contrast, we do expect the next big move in Spanish... 2nd December 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Outlook 2014: A year of stability for euro-zone property The latest economic and property market data from the single currency region sit comfortably with our forecasts that commercial property in the euro-zone faces a further year of stability in rental... 28th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Euro-zone Fiscal Monitor (Nov.) While Greece and Ireland remain ahead of their fiscal consolidation targets, Italy appears set to record a larger than planned deficit this year. 27th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Weekly Signs of growth convergence provide little comfort Q3's meagre rise in euro-zone GDP clearly was disappointing, but there were some signs that growth within the region is converging. The slowdown was largely down to weaker growth in Germany and France... 18th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Spain's fiscal prospects look brighter than Italy's Spain still faces major economic challenges, but we think that prospects there are brighter than in Italy where the medium-term outlook for the public finances remains pretty dire. Accordingly, we... 11th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Chart Pack Robust investment market built on shaky fundamentals The improvement in the euro-zone economy has supported a relatively active quarter for commercial property investment in Q3. Moreover, some types of investors have become increasingly willing to look... 6th November 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Commercial Property Update Investment case for Italy weaker than Spain The recent return of some international investors to commercial property markets in Spain and Italy seems to reflect the rapid turnaround in sentiment in both economies over the past year or so. Our... 30th October 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Will Italian government bond spreads continue to fall? Given the recent run of positive economic news from the euro-zone, it is perhaps no surprise that the spread between Italian and German government bond yields has narrowed. But we remain concerned... 21st October 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Data Response French & Italian Ind. Production (Aug.) The latest industrial figures heighten the risk that both the French and Italian economies contracted in Q3, confirming that the euro-zone’s recovery is strongly reliant on Germany. 10th October 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economic Outlook Growth prospects improve, but crisis unresolved The European economy has shown further signs of recovery, with the euro-zone finally emerging from recession in the second quarter and other parts of the continent also faring better. But growth in... 8th October 2013 · 1 min read
Europe Economics Update Renewed political uncertainty adds to Italy's problems Silvio Berlusconi’s decision to withdraw his support for the coalition Government may not trigger elections. But the fragile political situation highlights the huge challenges that Italy faces just to... 30th September 2013 · 1 min read